Evan Rachel Wood defends Justin Bieber

Actress Evan Rachel Wood has urged the public to go easy on troubled pop star Justin Bieber, insisting youngsters who grow up in the spotlight should not be criticized for making mistakes.

“The Wrestler” star began acting when she was a child and found fame with her role in gritty teen drama “Thirteen” before making a successful transition to more adult roles.

Wood admits she struggled with life as a famous teenager and feels sorry for fellow former child star Bieber, whose bad behavior has made him a regular in the headlines over the last few months.

She tells Thedailybeast.com, “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be him. When you’re a teenager in an adult career, people expect you to be perfect and expect you to never make mistakes or to be a reckless teenager. And then when you are, they give you such a really hard time for it. You have to remind them that you’re still a kid.”

Wood goes on to reveal she was deeply hurt by the criticism she received over her relationship with former fiancé Marilyn Manson after she began dating the 36-year-old rocker when she was just 19.

She adds, “I was never a Bieber or a (Miley) Cyrus, but I think the judgment was there, sure. People were pretty mean. At the time I hadn’t yet been exposed to that kind of cruelty from strangers. If people were wondering why I was acting so-called crazy or like a teenager, it’s because I was. People go through phases. People make mistakes. People go through life and don’t get it right every time.”

Wood and Manson ended their brief engagement in 2010. She is now married to actor Jamie Bell, the father of her infant son.